


Three Pieces of a Heart

by softkent (SalazarTipton)



Category: Check Please! (Webcomic)
Genre: Angst, Getting Back Together, Getting Together, M/M, Minor Original Character(s), Multi, NHL All-Star Weekend, Polyamory, Soulmates, swimmson
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-10
Updated: 2018-02-10
Packaged: 2019-03-16 04:47:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,682
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13628895
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SalazarTipton/pseuds/softkent
Summary: “Soulmates?” Kent finishes the question for him. His face falls at the word, brow furrowing. “I...I already have a soulmate, Swoops. My--my mark was hurting for him when I came in and then you came and, and it got better. Can you even have two?” Kent asks, unsure if he wants to Jeff answer him.





	Three Pieces of a Heart

**Author's Note:**

  * For [palateens](https://archiveofourown.org/users/palateens/gifts).



> Happy Valentine's Day, Pau!!! When I got your prompt assignment to me I was freaking stoked. I adore what you do and you're such a lovely person I was so happy to get a chance to bring some fun your way. This ended up a little angsty than I had in mind, but I hope you like it! 
> 
> Thank you to kenzie for beta'ing this for meeeee!

Kent walks,  determined,  into his bedroom, away from his friends gathered in his living room. Once the doors clicks closed behind him, Kent sags--shoulders turning in as if trying to protect himself from the pain emanating from his soulbond. 

 

It’s been one year since he last saw Jack in person. Of all the times his bond decided to realize how far and estranged Kent and Jack really are, it just had to pick when Kent’s house if full of people.  

 

He curses and strips off his shirt, heading over to the mirror. He stares at his reflection. The blue bloom of color pulsing around the center of his chest is unmistakable. He lets his fingers ghost around its watery edges, which curl and ebb as he gets near. His bond doesn’t want his touch; it wants Jack’s. 

 

A shaky breath, one he’s been trying to keep in, escapes. The cool wall meets his bare back when he stumbles back, losing what little stability he’s been holding onto as tightly as he could. He slides down the wall across from the full-length mirror and looks at himself with unfocused eyes. Without his glasses on, he can’t make out the tears streaking his face. He can pretend he’s not crying as long as he can’t see it. There’s no such luck with the pulse of deep blue over his heart though. 

 

“Parse?” a soft voice asks from the other side of the room. Kent gulps down his crying, hugs his legs a little tighter, and buries his head between his knees so he doesn’t have to face the broken look on Jeff’s face. 

 

Jeff kneels down beside him. He holds out a hand to comfort him, but stops before touching his skin. He sighs and pulls his hand back. “You wanna talk to me?” he asks and settles back onto his ass, realizing he’ll be here for a while. 

 

Kent shakes his head and sniffles. The cold burn in his chest pulses causing his shoulder to shake with another sob. The pain is more uncomfortable than hurtful; it’s the reminder that his soulmate wants nothing to do with him that hurts him the most. 

 

They just sit without saying a word. The rooms permeates with the sounds of Kent crying until they dwindle down to little sniffs and a long sigh. He risks peeking out from between his knees. Jeff gives him a sad, easy smile. 

 

“You doing okay?” he asks. Kent considers not answering him--considers keeping all of this to himself like he has for so long now, but the idea of not carrying this alone seems like the first breath of fresh air since Jack shoved him out of his life. 

 

“Not really, but that’s nothing new,” Kent says, his voice a little raspy. He clears his throat and stretches out. He legs ache from how tightly he’s been holding onto them. His head thumps lightly against the wall. He glances past Jeff’s surprised look to the mirror where his pulsing blue bond is waving to him. 

 

Jeff lets out a soft gasp, staring down at Kent’s chest. He’s always giving Parser his space, never reached out that much physically, but that pulsing blue pulls his shaking hand up like a magnet drawing him in. He flicks his eyes up to Kent’s. They’re redder than Jeff’s ever seen them and puffy. The tears that are sticking his lashes together shouldn’t look as pretty as they do. 

 

Kent watches Jeff reach out towards his chest and lets it happen. He’s already stripped of his mask and emotionally naked. Kent has nothing left to hide. His eyes follow Jeff’s fingers as they ghost over the muddy edges of the mark until he presses his palm directly over his heart. His touch feels far too warm--like hot tea over ice. He shudders out a breath. 

 

Beneath Jeff’s fingers, the blue mark swirls rapidly. They both watch without a word between them, confused and motionless as it shifts. The blue outlines his hand, leaving the edge of it a vibrant pink. 

 

“I-I…” Jeff starts with no idea what to say or what’s happening. The neat edges between the pink and blue flow into each other until Kent’s mark turns a lilac purple, soft and calm against his flushed and sweaty chest. Jeff lets his hand drop.

 

“Take off your shirt,” Kent says in a rush. His eyes flick up to Jeff’s, pleading. “Please…”

 

Jeff stutters, not understanding what’s happening. He pulls off his t-shirt. Before it’s even over his head, something inside him knocks backward and surges forward simultaneously when Kent’s hand touches his chest. He looks down to see the light pink lick around Kent’s fingers in a scrolling pattern. It branches out like ivy, wrapping around his hand until it’s fully surrounded. The hand drops away, but the imprint remains as if it’s leaving space for another’s touch. 

 

“Jeff?” Kent breathes out in something more akin to a plea and a prayer than trying to get his attention. 

 

“Are we--”

 

“Soulmates?” Kent finishes the question for him. His face falls at the word, brow furrowing. “I...I already have a soulmate, Swoops. My--my mark was hurting for him when I came in and then you came and, and it got better. Can you even have two?” Kent asks, unsure if he wants to Jeff answer him. 

 

♠️     ♠️     ♠️

 

"Cap, why do you look like someone just insulted Kit?" Swoops asks with a smile as he sits down next to him on the bench in the Aces' weightroom. 

 

Kent locks his phone and shoves it back into his bag with a little more force than necessary. "All-Star results."

 

"Awe, yeah yeah. It'll be awful being away from me for an entire weekend, but don't you worry your pretty little head. Kit and I will have a lovely time on our own," Swoops jokes, knocking his shoulder lightly against Kent's. 

 

Instead of taking the bait, Kent gets up and picks up one of the kettlebells, hoping to channel his nerves into his muscles instead of freaking out in front of everybody. He'll never admit it, but his chest bloomed when he saw who was going too: Jack. His bond peeked out of him for the first time that damn party and, for once, it felt bright instead of heavy. 

 

Kent pushes up with the weight and grits his teeth through the fatigue of his already worked muscles. There are still a string of actually relevant games before the All-Star one. Maybe he can figure out an excuse like so many other players do. Maybe he won't have to face Jack in a relaxed setting, where he just knows there'll be an interview with the both of them. Just maybe, he won't have to face his first soulmate knowing he’s rejected him...or maybe he won’t have to do it alone. 

 

“Come with me.”

 

Jeff stops his repetition. He blinks at Kent. “Of course. Whatever you need, okay? I’m with you. Want me to call Kit’s sitter?”

 

♠️     ♠️     ♠️

 

Kent’s bond snaps taught and slowly relaxes in Kent's chest when he enters the hotel lobby. He staggers, stumbling a little over his luggage. Thankfully, no one seems to have noticed his blunder. If he can't even keep his balance off-ice with this...this hopeless hope tugging at him-- how the hell is he supposed to skate with Zimms on the same ice?

 

He walks up to the counter and waits for the receptionist to finish with their phone call. A loud laugh makes him turn around towards the bar to see Kervil from the Schooners is reacting, a little too excitedly, to whatever Bad Bob just said. Kent’s gut drops to the floor and he pulls his snapback a little lower, turning back to the counter. If Bob is here, Jack’s nearby--maybe upstairs or something--from how his bond reacted to entering this godforsaken place. 

 

With easy banter and a smile, he gets his keycard and tells them Jeff will be coming to pick his up in a few minutes after parking the rental car. Kent heads for the elevators without anyone he knows stopping him to chat, which he counts as a blessing. The doors  _ ding _ open, and to his heart’s delight, no one is inside. He presses the button to his floor and lets his head fall back against the wall of the elevator, causing his hat to lift slightly off his head (probably making his hair even more of a mess than usual). 

 

_ It’s just one weekend of fun like all the others. Quit acting like Jack is gonna pop out from behind a corner. He doesn’t want anything to do with you, remember?  _ He reminds himself in a twisted version of a pep talk.  _ Relax a little. You get a weekend away the Swoops and can catch up with some people. You like being social, remember? _

 

The cheerful ding of the elevator when he reaches his floor  jolts from his thoughts, still on edge despite how hard he’s forcing himself to chill. He reaches his room, takes out the keycard, and--

 

"Kenny?" Kent's heart clenches and fills with a sudden chill. He turns to his left where the voice came from. A few doors down, Jack is standing with one foot outside his hotel room in sweats and tee shirt. Kent swallows hard and pushes open his door. He has three options: ignore Jack, scream at what his life's become, or invite the guy in. As much as he wishes he's stronger, Kent nods for Jack to come inside. 

 

Jack bites his lip as he pockets his own keycard and shuts the door firmly behind himself, double-checking it’s closed with a little kick. Of everything he knew was going to happen this weekend, this was the one thing Kent wanted to avoid. 

 

Kent opens the door to his room and shoves his way into the dark, air conditioned space. He flicks over the lock so the door won’t shut before melting onto the bed. All he’s done today is travel and catch up with some people and he’s ready to sleep for the whole weekend.  _ This whole thing is supposed to be a break… _

 

He's gotten over what Jack thinks of him a long time ago. His bond flutters and blooms open in his chest as Jack walks over to him.  _ Shut up, buddy. This isn't what you think it is _ , he tells it. 

 

"I'd love to just wait around for you to find a way to say what you wanna say, but I'm really fuckin' beat, Zimms," Kent mumbles into the comforter. His eyes and bond both sting from the tears at the edge of his lashline and the bitterness in his voice. He sneaks a peek over to the window. 

 

Jack just shrugs and looks out the window at the Houston skyline. 

 

"Figured it'd be better for us to, uh, to deal with this now instead of have something happen on the ice tomorrow," Jack says, but it feels like he's speaking more to the window than Kent. 

 

“There’s a bit more to deal with than you know,” Kent admits. 

 

Jack turns to face him with a blank face. He stares at Kent, waiting for him to elaborate when the lock on the door whirs and swings open. 

 

“Babe, you  _ so  _ owe me for carrying your shit up here,” Swoops says letting the door swing closed behind him and the bags he’s carrying. He goes to toss them further into the room when he finally sees Jack. “Oh, damn.”

 

Kent sits up and waves Jeff over, hoping to break this awkward tension as soon as possible. He’s sick of this half-tugging, half-content bond in his chest. He needs something to change on the former side of it. 

 

“Have you heard about multi-bonds?” Kent asks Jack. 

 

Jack nods, but doesn’t seem to understand where this conversation is going. Kent rolls his eyes and strips off his jacket. He starts on his buttons when Jack holds up his hands. 

 

“What are you doing?”

 

“It’s just easier to show you than explain,” Kent sighs out. He finishes on the buttons the shirt, untucks his shirt, and tosses it on the opposite bed. 

 

Jeff sits down beside him while trying to read Jack. Jack’s features don’t change when Kent lifts up his undershirt to reveal his pale purple mark. His eyes dart between Jeff and Kent, asking so many questions without saying a word. Jeff huffs. 

 

“You have a multi-bond. What does that have to do with me?”

 

“Ouch! Thanks for the concern, asshat,” Kent says. “Figured my  _ other soulmate  _ would give a fuck, but sorry for making assumptions about anything about you.” Kent shoots up off the bed and stomps off into the bathroom, lightly pushing Jack out of his way.

 

Jeff wipes his hands down his face. “He said you didn’t care about him, but I never thought you’d give this little of a fuck about him,” Jeff whispers. 

 

“You have no idea how I feel about Kent, so don’t act like you’re privileged to that information. All this proves is what I already knew: Kent deserves a lot more than me for a soulmate.”  

 

“Way to avoid responsibility. Do you know how he and I found out what we are? His bond with you was causing him so much pain he was on the floor, shaking. Call me a romantic or hopeful or whatever, but I doubt all that hurt was just going one way,” Jeff says, seething. 

 

Jack grits his teeth and sits down across from Jeff. “We’re bad for each other,” Jack admits. 

 

“Sounds like I was right.” A silence settles over them for a few moments, covering the room like a dusting of frost. Jeff clears his throat. “Most multi-bonds are...contained. Yeah, there are some that don’t stay within the soul-group, but…” Jeff lets his thought trail out. He’s only just met Jack. He’s not ready to admit what he’s really asking. 

 

Instinctively, Jack raises a hand to rub over his heart. He shakes his head. Jeff nods and squashes any hope he had of finding out whether or not his other soulmate was the same as Kent’s.  _ That’d just be too easy, wouldn’t it _ , Jeff thinks to himself. His eyes fill with surprise when Jack’s fingers move to the hem of his shirt and lift it up just enough to reveal the muted pink  palmprint over his heart with waving edges. 

 

Jeff’s breath hitches. He quickly pulls up his own shirt, revealing his pink scrawling swirls outlining a missing hand.  If their chests were to press together, there marks would create one whole bloom. Jack can’t take his eyes off the color he feels in his soul. 

 

“Can I?” Jack asks in a flat tone. Jeff nods and swallows the lump building in his throat. 

 

Jack’s hand has none of the unsurety Kent and Jeff had last month. He leans across the space between them and easily places his palm in the barren area above Jeff’s heart. Instead of the push and pull Jeff felt with Kent, this touch sends a pulse through his ribcage and permeates through him like a buzzing shock. 

 

Jeff quickly adds his own palm to Jack’s chest, all worry gone from his mind, and watches him feel the bond snap into place. They don’t watch the intricate designs of their marks dance and swirl together into a striking lilac. Instead, they look each other in the eyes, mirroring their smiles. Neither of them had known the pull they felt in their chests wasn’t to be closer to Kent, but to connect to each other. Jeff sags forward when the bond fully melds. Jack catches him by the shoulder, breathing heavy. 

 

“This weekend just got a bit more complicated,” Jeff whispers with hints of disbelief and joy. 

 

Jack lets himself laugh for a moment at the lightness of his shoulders. He and Kent were always meant to be together, they’d just been missing their other half. 

  
  


**Author's Note:**

> Please let me know what you think! Comments and kudos are my lifeblood. This was a joy to explore and I hope you enjoyed it. <3  
> 


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